The Águilas del Zulia is a Venezuela

Venezuela

Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

n winter league team that plays in the Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional, and one of the most popular teams in Venezuela.

History

The team was founded in 1969. The franchise began in 1955 as Industriales de Valencia and became the Llaneros de Acarigua for the 1968/1969 season after moving to Acarigua, Portuguesa.

After the collapse of the Liga Occidental in 1963 the Estado Zulia was left without a professional baseball team. In the following years there were many efforts to bring baseball back to the state but the efforts were not realized until 1969 when the Águilas joined the LVBP. The two people behind the formation of the team were Luis Rodolfo Machado Bohórquez, who was the main shareholder of the Centauros de Maracaibo and Juan Antonio Yañez, formerly of the Patriotas del Venezuela.

Machado found a group of investors from the region to buy the Llaneros de Acarigua when, after the 1968/1969 season, the team was put up for sale by its owners after losing money for numerous years. Among the investors were Simón Bromberg, Rubén Darío Barboza, Gabriel Fernández

Gabriel Fernández

Gabriel Fernández Arenas, aka Gabi , is a Spanish footballer who plays for Atlético Madrid as a defensive midfielder.-Football career:...

, Edgardo Fuenmayor Arrieta, Guillermo Echeto La Roche, Sixto Márquez , José Trinidad Martínez, Douglas Mavárez Granadillo, Ernesto Montiel, Fernando Pérez Amado, Vinicio Pineda Gil, Alberto Plumacher, Antonio Quintero Parra, Lucas Rincón Colmenares, Heberto Rutilio Ríos, and Hugo Suárez Romero.

After receiving the approval of the Liga Central's President, Franklin White, and from the presidents of the league's five other teams, the team was formally acquired by Machado's group. The team was bought for a sum of 400,000 million bolivars. The news of the return of professional baseball to the state was celebrated in Zulia.

The team made its debut on October 14, 1969 at Estadio Barquisimeto versus the Cardenales de Lara

Cardenales de Lara

The Cardenales de Lara is a baseball team in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. Founded in 1942 and based in Barquisimeto, the Cardenales have won four domestic titles, the most recent in 2001.-Notable players:* Luis Sojo* Luis Leal...

. The Águilas lost the game 3 - 2 with Juan Quiroz pitching a complete game loss versus Pablo Torrealba

Pablo Torrealba

Pablo Arnoldo Torrealba Torrealba [tor-ray-AHL-bah] is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Atlanta Braves , Oakland Athletics and Chicago White Sox . Torrealba batted and threw left-handed...

 who got the and Ken Sanders

Ken Sanders

For the football player of the same name see Ken Sanders .Kenneth George Sanders is a former professional baseball player...

 who came on in relief. On the following day the team played its first game at Estadio Luis Aparicio El Grande

Estadio Luis Aparicio El Grande

Estadio Luis Aparicio El Grande is a multi-use stadium in Maracaibo, Venezuela. It is currently used mostly for baseball games and serves as the home of Águilas del Zulia. The stadium holds 23,900 people. It is named after longtime Maracaibo shortstop Luis Aparicio, Sr., the father of Luis Aparicio...

 with a 6 - 5 victory.

The team's first years were troubled with the team posting losses in most years. However, the team survived these lean years and became one of the top teams in the 1980s and early 1990s with four titles.

The Águilas

The name of the Águilas (Eagles) are identifiably with the Zuliano region. It is said to be attributied to the Father Jose Manuel Ríos. At a game at Estadio Alejandro Borjes in Maracaibo in 1968, Luis Rodolfo Machado had asked Ríos if he had any suggestions for a baseball team's name, as Machado he had just bought the Llaneros de Portuguesa. Ríos saw the label of the then popular Zulia Beer, whose bottle's label carried a blue eagle on a yellow background and said that the Águilas would be a good name. Ríos remarked the Governmental Palace in Maracaibo is called El de las Águilas (The Place of the Eagles), and that many national flags and coats of arms have eagles on them. Thus the team's name became the Eagles.

2006-2007 season

For the first time in five seasons the team qualified to the post-season, under the American manager John Russell. The performances of the rookie sensation and Diamondbacks prospect Carlos Gonzalez, led this team filled with rookies to a successful year, finishing second in the western division and third in the playoff race to the finals.

Foreign pitchers Chris Begg, Heath Totten and Jeremy Cummings were the heads of the pitching rotation, while the offesive was commanded by an MVP season of Carlos Gonzalez and solid performances of Juan Pablo Camacho, Orlando Munoz, Humberto Quintero and the rookie of the year, Luis Bolivar.

Reliever Richard Garces reached his 100th save in the league and inspired many rookie pitchers in the team, who had for the first time former pitcher and team legend, Wilson Alvarez, starting a career as a bullpen coach.

Retired numbers

11 Luis Aparicio Montiel SS Retired 1984

20 Leonel Carrión OF Retired 1999

Notable players

• José Alfaro
  José Alfaro
  José Alfaro is a Nicaraguan boxer with a record of 20-3-0-1 who captured the vacant WBA lightweight title against Thai Prawet Singwancha in a split decision on December 29, 2007 in Bielefeld, Germany. He later lost that title on May 19, 2008 to Yusuke Kobori who knocked him out in only 3 rounds...
  
  
• Porfirio Altamirano
  Porfi Altamirano
  Porfirio Altamirano Ramírez , nicknamed "El Guajiro" is a former Major League Baseball right-handed middle relief pitcher who played for the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs ....
  
  
• Wilson Alvarez
  Wilson Alvarez
  Wilson Eduardo Álvarez Fuenmayor is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher...
  
  
• Rubén Amaro, Jr.
  Rubén Amaro, Jr.
  Rubén Amaro, Jr. is the general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies.He is also a former Major League Baseball outfielder who played from to . He is the son of former infielder Rubén Amaro, Sr....
  
  
• Luis Aparicio
  Luis Aparicio
  Luis Ernesto Aparicio Montiel is a former shortstop in professional baseball. His career in Major League Baseball spanned three decades, from through . Aparicio played for the Chicago White Sox , Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox . He batted and threw right-handed...
  
  
• Jay Baller
  Jay Baller
  Jay Scot Baller is a former right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and Kansas City Royals. Baller spent parts of six different seasons in the major leagues but never was able to stick with a big league time for an entire campaign...
  
  
• Mike Bielecki
  Mike Bielecki
  Michael Joseph Bielecki was a professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1984–1997.-Pittsburgh Pirates:...
  
  
• Dick Billings
  Dick Billings
  Richard Arlin Billings is a former American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher, outfielder and third baseman for the Washington Senators/Texas Rangers and St...
  
  
• Derek Botelho
  Derek Botelho
  Derek Wayne Botelho is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Kansas City Royals and Chicago Cubs, who is currently the pitching coach for the Class A-Advanced Lynchburg Hillcats.-Career:...
  
  
• Juan Bustabad
  Juan Bustabad
  Juan Bustabad is a minor league baseball player and manager, who currently manages the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in the California League.-Playing career:...
  
  
• Leonel Carrión
• Pedro Castellano
  Pedro Castellano
  Pedro Orlando Castellano Arrieta , is a former Major League Baseball third baseman/first baseman and right-handed batter who played for the Colorado Rockies...
  
  
• Cristóbal Colón
  Cris Colón
  Cristóbal Colón is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and switch-hitter batter who played for the Texas Rangers ....
  
  
• Steve Cummings
  Steve Cummings
  Stephen Philip Cummings is an English racing cyclist for UCI ProTour team .-Biography:Cummings won the team pursuit at the 2005 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Los Angeles and at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. He also took bronze in the individual pursuit...
  
  
• Bob Dernier
  Bob Dernier
  Robert Eugene Dernier, also known as "Bobby", was a center fielder for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs in the 1980s. The fleet-afoot 1984 Gold Glove Award winner was also nicknamed "The Deer" by The Wrigley Faithful. Dernier was the lead-off hitter Cubs' 1984 N.L. East Championship...
  
  
• Brandon Duckworth
  Brandon Duckworth
  Brandon J. Duckworth is a Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher for the Boston Red Sox organization. Graduated in 1994 from Kearns High in Kearns Utah....
  
  
• Mike Easler
  Mike Easler
  Michael Anthony Easler is a retired Major League Baseball outfielder who enjoyed a 14 year major league career from 1973 to 1987 with the Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, California Angels, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees...
  
  
• Gustavo Espósito
• Terry Francona
  Terry Francona
  Terry Jon Francona , nicknamed "Tito," is a former Major League Baseball manager and a former player. He was a first baseman and outfielder in the majors from 1981 to 1990. After retiring as a player, he managed several minor league teams in the 1990s before managing the Philadelphia Phillies for...
  
  
• Rich Garcés
  Rich Garcés
  Richard Alan Garcés Mendoza, Jr. [gar-CESS] is a former right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball...
  
  
• Jesús González
• Geremi González
  Geremi González
  Geremis Segundo González Acosta was a Venezuelan right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago Cubs , Tampa Bay Devil Rays , Boston Red Sox , New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers . In his rookie season he led the Cubs with 11 wins, but he was unable to continue that...
  
  
• César Gutiérrez
  César Gutiérrez
  César Dario Gutiérrez [goo-te-ER-rez] , also nicknamed "Cocoa", was a Venezuelan professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop for the San Francisco Giants and Detroit Tigers .-Major League career:Gutiérrez was born in Coro, Falcón State...
  
  
• Toby Harrah
  Toby Harrah
  Colbert Dale Harrah is a former professional baseball player who played with the Texas Rangers both before and after their 1971 franchise shift before later being traded to the Cleveland Indians and the New York Yankees...
  
  
• Pete Incaviglia
  Pete Incaviglia
  Peter "Inky" Joseph Incaviglia is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He was drafted in the 1st round by the Montreal Expos in the 1985 amateur draft out of Oklahoma State University, but was traded later the same year to the Texas Rangers...
  
  

• Bart Johnson
  Bart Johnson
  Barton Robert "Bart" Johnson , is an American actor, best known for his role as Coach Jack Bolton in the High School Musical film series.-Personal life:...
  
  
• Julio Machado
  Julio Machado
  Julio Segundo Machado Rondón is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher who played for the New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers ....
  
  
• Greg Maddux
  Greg Maddux
  Gregory Alan Maddux , nicknamed "Mad Dog" and "The Professor", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He was the first pitcher in major league history to win the Cy Young Award for four consecutive years , a feat matched only by Randy Johnson...
  
  
• Jim Morrison
  Jim Morrison (baseball)
  James Forrest Morrison , is a former professional baseball player who played second and third base in the Major Leagues from 1977 to 1988. During his baseball career, Morrison played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Detroit Tigers, and Atlanta Braves...
  
  
• Orlando Muñoz
• Lipso Nava
• Johnny Paredes
  Johnny Paredes
  Johnny Alfonso Paredes Isambert [pay-RAY-des] is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Montreal Expos and Detroit Tigers . He also played in Japan in 1992 for the Yakult Swallows...
  
  
• Eduardo Pérez
  Eduardo Perez
  Eduardo Atanasio Pérez, a Cuban-American is a former Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball player. He is currently the hitting coach of the Miami Marlins. He batted and threw right-handed and joined the league in after playing college baseball under head coach Mike Martin for the...
  
  
• Carlos Quintana
  Carlos Quintana (baseball)
  Carlos Narciso Quintana Hernandez is a former Major League Baseball player who played for the Boston Red Sox from 1988-1993.-Professional career:...
  
  
• Roberto Ramos
  Bobby Ramos
  Roberto "Bobby" Ramos is currently the bullpen coach for the Tampa Bay Rays. During his playing career, he was a catcher, playing parts of six seasons for the Montreal Expos and New York Yankees. He was a minor league manager in the Rays' system from to .-External links:*...
  
  
• Jimmy Rollins
  Jimmy Rollins
  James Calvin "Jimmy" Rollins , nicknamed "J-Roll", is an All-Star and former MVP shortstop, who most recently played for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball's National League....
  
  
• Ryne Sandberg
  Ryne Sandberg
  Ryne Dee Sandberg , nicknamed "Ryno" is a former Major League Baseball second baseman. During a 16-year baseball career, he played from 1981–1994 and 1996–97, spending nearly his entire career with the Chicago Cubs. He was named after relief pitcher Ryne Duren, and is recognized as one of the best...
  
  
• Mike Scott
  Mike Scott (baseball)
  Michael Warren "Mike" Scott is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the New York Mets and the Houston Astros. He won the National League Cy Young Award in...
  
  
• Phil Stephenson
  Phil Stephenson
  Phillip Raymond Stephenson is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. He played all or part of four seasons in the majors, from until .- Amateur career :...
  
  
• Dave Stewart
• César Suárez
  César Suárez
  -Career highlights:# 2005: 3º in General Classification Vuelta a Sucre # 2008: 1º in Stage 9 Vuelta al Tachira, San Cristóbal Cesar Suarez nació en Santo Domingo en el 1992, su familia es la encargada de organizar el Circo de los Hermanos Suarez en laRepublica Dominicana-External links:...
  
  
• Jesús Marcano Trillo
  Manny Trillo
  Jesús Manuel Marcano Trillo , also nicknamed "Indio", is a former professional baseball player who played in the Major Leagues from to...
  
  
• José de la Trinidad Bracho
• Walt Williams
  Walt Williams (baseball)
  Walter Allen Williams is a former American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder for the Houston Colt .45s , Chicago White Sox , Cleveland Indians , and the New York Yankees .-Early life:Williams was nicknamed No-Neck due to his relatively short stature...
  
  
• Eduardo Zambrano
  Eduardo Zambrano
  Eduardo José Zambrano is a former Major League Baseball right fielder/first baseman who played for the Chicago Cubs . He batted and threw right-handed....
  
  
• Joe Girardi
  Joe Girardi
  Joseph Elliott Girardi is a former Major League Baseball catcher and current manager of the New York Yankees. During a 15-year playing career, he played from 1989–2003 for the Chicago Cubs, the Colorado Rockies, the New York Yankees, and St. Louis Cardinals...
  
  
• José Leiva
• Rouglas Odor
  Rouglas Odor
  Rouglas Odor is a minor league baseball manager and former all-star minor league player.Odor was a shortstop in the Cleveland Indians organization from 1988 to 1994. In 1990, he made the Carolina League all-star team representing the Kinston Indians. Odor played in the Milwaukee Brewers...
  
  
• Pat Venditte
  Pat Venditte
  Patrick Michael Venditte Jr. is an American baseball player. He is a minor league baseball player currently in the New York Yankees organization. He currently pitches for the Class-AA Trenton Thunder in the Eastern League. Venditte is a "switch pitcher", meaning he can throw and pitch proficiently...
  
  

Managers

• Bill Adair
  Bill Adair
  Marion Danne "Bill" Adair was an American coach and interim manager in Major League Baseball. A second baseman, he was a career minor-league player who never rose about the Class AA level but who spent 21 years as a manager in the minors.-History:Born in Mobile, Alabama, Adair was a skipper in the...
  
  
• Rubén Amaro, Sr.
  Rubén Amaro, Sr.
  Rubén Amaro, Sr. was a shortstop and first baseman in Major League Baseball who played from through .son of a cuban Santos Amaro and a mexicanJosefina Mora....
  
  
• Luis Aparicio
  Luis Aparicio
  Luis Ernesto Aparicio Montiel is a former shortstop in professional baseball. His career in Major League Baseball spanned three decades, from through . Aparicio played for the Chicago White Sox , Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox . He batted and threw right-handed...
  
  
• Luís Aparicio Sr.
• Greg Biagini
  Greg Biagini
  Gregory Peter Biagini was an American player, coach and manager in minor league baseball and a batting coach for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball...
  
  
• Dick Billings
  Dick Billings
  Richard Arlin Billings is a former American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher, outfielder and third baseman for the Washington Senators/Texas Rangers and St...
  
  
• Marc Bombard
  Marc Bombard
  Marc Bombard was the Philadelphia Phillies first base coach from 2005-2006. Before coaching, Bombard pitched in the Cincinnati Reds organization from 1971 to 1977. At one point his roommate was Randy "Macho Man" Savage. In 1978, he became a minor league manager and coach for the Reds...
  
  
• Alfonso Carrasquel
• Ron Clark
  Ron Clark
  Ron L. Clark, Jr. is an American teacher who has worked with disadvantaged students in rural North Carolina and Harlem, New York City...
  
  
• Pompeyo Davalillo
  Pompeyo Davalillo
  Pompeyo Antonio "Yo-Yo" Davalillo Romero [da-va-LEE-yo] is a former Major League Baseball player. Listed at 5' 3", 140 lb., Davalillo batted and threw right-handed. He is listed in major league records as having been born on June 30, 1931, in Cabimas, Venezuela...
  
  
• Jody Davis
• Larry Doby
  Larry Doby
  Lawrence Eugene "Larry" Doby was an American professional baseball player in the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball....
  
  
• Gustavo Gil
  Gus Gil
  Tomás Gustavo "Gus" Gil Guillén is a former Venezuelan professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a second baseman for the Cleveland Indians , Seattle Pilots , and Milwaukee Brewers .-Playing career:Gil was a sure-handed fielder and played for three teams in four seasons...
  
  
• Enrique Izquierdo
  Hank Izquierdo
  Enrique Roberto Valdes Izquierdo was a Major League Baseball player, who played catcher for the Minnesota Twins in 1967....
  
  
• Noé Maduro
• Pete Mackanin
  Pete Mackanin
  Peter Mackanin, Jr. is a former second baseman and manager in Major League Baseball who most recently served as the acting manager of the Cincinnati Reds, having replaced Jerry Narron in 2007 before being replaced at season's end by Dusty Baker...
  
  
• Jack Moore
  Jackie Moore
  Jackie Moore is an American R&B singer. She is most well known for her gold single 1970 song "Precious, Precious," which reached #30 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on March 6, 1971. This disc sold over one million copies, and received a gold disc awarded by the R.I.A.A...
  
  
• Omer Muñoz
  Omer Muñoz
  Omer Enrique Muñoz served as the interim first base coach for the Chicago White Sox in 2010 while Harold Baines recovered from right knee replacement surgery. He has also played, coached and managed in the minor leagues.-Playing career:Muñoz played from 1985 to 1996 consecutively, save for the...
  
  
• Leo Posada
  Leo Posada
  Leopoldo Jesús Posada Hernández is a former major league baseball outfielder.-Career:Posada was signed as undrafted amateur free agent by the Milwaukee Braves in 1954. In 1956, he was selected by the Kansas City Athletics from the Braves in the minor league draft.Posada played for the Athletics...
  
  
• Octavio Rojas
  Cookie Rojas
  Octavio Victor Rojas Rivas , better known as Cookie Rojas, is a former Major League Baseball second baseman and outfielder who played for the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, and Kansas City Royals. After retiring as a player he went on to both coach and manage in the...
  
  
• Tony Taylor
  Tony Taylor
  Antonio Nemesio Taylor is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball. From 1958 through , Taylor played for the Chicago Cubs , Philadelphia Phillies and Detroit Tigers...
  
  
• Jesús Marcano Trillo
  Manny Trillo
  Jesús Manuel Marcano Trillo , also nicknamed "Indio", is a former professional baseball player who played in the Major Leagues from to...
  
  
• Bobby Wine
  Bobby Wine
  Robert Paul Wine Sr. is a former shortstop, coach and manager in Major League Baseball. An excellent fielder who struggled as a batsman, Wine spent 12 seasons in the National League with the Philadelphia Phillies and the Montreal Expos...
  
  

People and personalities around the organization

• Luis Rodolfo Machado Bohórquez: "Founding father" of Aguilas del Zulia.
• Lilia Silva de Machado: Wife of Luis Rodolfo Machado Bohórquez and honorary president of Aguilas del Zulia.
• Antonio Quintero Parra: A businessman in Zulia. Helped fund the foundation of the club.
• Lucas Rincón Colmenares: A Zulia businessman who became president of the team and was later a scout for the Phillies and Expos
  Montreal Expos
  The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
  
  .
• Ernesto Montiel: Club director and fan who was instrumental in founding the team.
• Luis Rodolfo Machado Silva: President and general manager of the 1999-2000 championship team. He led the modernization and restructuring of the team.
• Ruperto Machado Silva: General manage of the team for four Venezuelan championships and two Caribbean World Series
  Caribbean World Series
  The Caribbean Series , also called the Caribbean World Series is the highest baseball tournament at club level in Latin America. The league winners from the Winter Leagues of Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela participate in the tournament...
  
   He led the team for more than 10 years. When he died in 1995, he was replaced by his brother Luis Rodolfo.
• Rubén Amaro Mora
  Rubén Amaro, Sr.
  Rubén Amaro, Sr. was a shortstop and first baseman in Major League Baseball who played from through .son of a cuban Santos Amaro and a mexicanJosefina Mora....
  
  : Spent 11 seasons in the Major Leagues. He was born in Mexico. His father was the legendary Cuban player Santos Amaro
  Santos Amaro
  Santos Amaro, better known as "Canguro" Amaro, was a Cuban athlete competing in Cuban and Mexican professional baseball....
  
  . His son followed him into the major leagues. Married to club co-owner Lilia Machado, Amaro has served as a manager, general manager, scout, and club president. He has served the club for more than 20 years. Currently, his son, Ruben, Jr.
  Rubén Amaro, Jr.
  Rubén Amaro, Jr. is the general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies.He is also a former Major League Baseball outfielder who played from to . He is the son of former infielder Rubén Amaro, Sr....
  
   is the general manager of the Phillies. The Amaros have had a relationship with the club in Zulia for more than 25 years.
• Jorge Miquilena: Served as a bat boy in both the Venezuelan Western League and the Venezuelan major league. He is the only person who has been affiliated with the club since it was founded.
• Luis Verde: Sportswriter and historian. He was a player, manager, executive and umpire before beginning his career as a sportswriter. He wrote La historia del Béisbol en el Zulia which is considered the bible of baseball in the Zulia state. The 2006-2007 baseball season in Venezuela, will be played on his memory and the season carries his name.
• Arturo Celestino Alvarez: Nicknamed "El Premier" (The First). Considered the best broadcaster in Maracaibo. He called games for Aguilas del Zulia until his death in 1986. His most famous phrase was "The restaurant is now open..." He is remembered with much affection in Maracaibo and Zulia. He was also an executive for the Lara Cardinals.
• "El Ventarrón" Oscar García: A broadcaster on both radio and television. He also recorded the history of the club.
• Néstor López: For many years López worked with Arturo Celestino Alvarez to call games for Zulia. He was dedicated to advancing baseball in Zulia all his life.
• Antonio Nuñez Rovira: A noted official in the Venezuelan League in Maracaibo. He kept statistics and the history of the Aguilas.
• Leandro Núñez Cruz: The son of a baseball official, he was witness to many notable events in Maracaibo.
• Gerardo Quintero: The voice of the Aguilas for more than thirty years. He also called major league baseball games on local television. He died in 2002.
• Emiro Díaz Peña: Called many games on local television and is a respected figure in baseball.
• Elbano Castro Pimentel: One of the premier sportswriters in the region. He frequently comments on the state of Venezuelan baseball.
• Leonte Landino Jr.: A sportswriter and a baseball television journalist who spent several seasons with the club. He created and hosted the syndicated television program Aguilas...A la Carga which contributed greatly to the history of the club on television on both the local and national levels. He was influential in moving local baseball coverage onto cable television and FM radio. He has called many games in the major leagues, worked for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and currently works for ESPN
  ESPN
  Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
  
   International in the United States. He is an active member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR).
• Antonio "Toñito" Soler: Young analyst for the radio network. One of the first writers to rely on the interpretation of statistics. Also one of the commentators on baseball on Venezuelan television.
• Manuel Hernández: Actor. Became an icon of the club giving life to "Agui", the fat eagle team mascot and the most recognized in Venezuelan baseball. He has been invited in the Caribbean Series and has received offers to be a mascot in United States and Japan.
• J.J. Villasmil: A professor of statistics at the University of Zulia. He has utilized the ideas of economics in baseball. He has also been an executive and commentator on the league. He has one of the finest collections of local baseball memorabilia.
• La Esquina Caliente: A group of fans for more than 30 years who have become experts on statistics and history. They sit in a section on the third base line.
• Johan Urdaneta: Calls games on local radio.
• Pepe Delgado Rivero: Known for his historic baseball and basketball broadcast in national television. He became famous working for Radio Caracas TV. He has a particular and well known style of calling strikeouts.
• Rodney Calderón: Modernized the scouting system which has led many players to the major leagues. He was a scout for the Texas Rangers
  Texas Rangers (baseball)
  The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
  
  and founded their baseball academy.

Sources

• Águilas en la Historia (in Spanish)

External links

• Official website